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Understanding Toddlers' Drawings
The size of the canvas a child chooses is often significant. Children at this age are naturally egotistical. A child who consistently draws only on a small area of the page or who uses minimal symbols in his drawings may be suffering some form of abuse. Although there is generally no significance to the number of fingers drawn on a hand, a large, fingerless circle in place of a hand is sometimes an indication of physical abuse.
"Children at this stage will use color for its emotional and contrasting appeal," says Winter. "When a crisis sets in the first thing to go is color." If a child who has previously used and enjoyed color in her artwork exhibits a sudden and extended rejection of color in favor of black or gray, she may be in a state of denial or apathy. "Often times, the 'colorless' shape or symbol in the midst of colorful shapes and symbols reveals, by simple contrast, the origin of the problem a person, a family member, a fear or a phobia," Winter explains.
If a child scribbles over a drawing with black lines, she may be trying to erase her drawing or make it invisible. If the scribbles were done while a parent or other adult was speaking with the child, it can indicate that the conversation was somehow painful to the child. In such cases, the, the paper will frequently be torn from the pressure, or the pencil (or crayon or marker) will be broken as the child grips it tightly.
In deciphering children's drawings, parents need to remember that patterns are the key and "patterns are manifested after extended periods of time six months to a year at least," says Winter. So one drawing in black and white does not mean that a child is disturbed, but if he constantly rejects color in favor of back, gray, and white, it may indicate a problem worth investigating.